Random

Anyone want a 7-month-old lunatic? Baxter is reaching the terrible teens, and no amount of exercise is going to resolve it -- only time & discipline. We had a fabulous time at Creekside yesterday with Joyce and the kidlets. Baxter played fetch with Liam, swam, made buddies with a Golden, and herded Jonah. I was so proud.

Then we went home and Baxter ran away from home with one of the neighbor's dogs while I was weed whipping. While he DID come back after I walked up the road yelling for him, he is grounded. No yard freedom unless I can give him my full attention.

But that's not the end of our evening adventures. No, Ma'am. In bed reading late at night, fans going & all the windows open...it was hot, but not hot enough for the AC. Something must have been on the porch, because Baxter went all Kung Fu Panda and took off -- ripping the screen from the bottom corner. When he came back, he was relegated to his kennel for the night.

Thank goodness for Duct Tape.
So far: Baxter 2, House 0. (1 gigantic hole in a King size foam mattress, 1 ripped patio screen)

Pit Stop

Hope everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend! Mine got rained on, but it was still a good trip. I made it to Springfield in time to watch the TT Short Track races from the pits (thanks, Dad!) on Friday night.

Then it rained. And rained. They postponed the Mile to Monday, then cancelled it Monday morning. Hopefully the Labor Day weekend weather will be gorgeous -- they are going to try to run TWO Mile races that weekend! I already have a hotel room for me and Baxter. Hopefully gas won't be an unmentionable price by then.

I am home for a few more days and enjoying it. I am on a kick to promote the massage a bit more, which means re-working my brochures and fliers. I'm writing articles for a fabulous new web site, GoHorseShow.com, which will hopefully translate into more business. Then it's off to Oklahoma City on Monday. Wish me luck!

It's strawberry season here in Missouri. Joyce and I went picking yesterday, taking advantage of the cool weather. Now I have to figure out what to do with all these berries (besides eating them until I have a stomachache)!

Here comes summer!

My "Lisa & Baxter US Tour" offically begins for me tomorrow! We are off to St. Louis to work at a horse show for a few days, then head up to Springfield, Illinois, to watch the Springfield Mile flattrack race. (More on that in another blog.)

I can't wait. It is high time to take a break from life in the hollow. Harley, my 4-year-old QH gelding, was officially sold today (I sure hope I didn't just jinx it AGAIN). I had mixed feelings about that sale -- he is a nice horse, but I just don't have the time or funding to ride/pay for two horses. Plus, he has a great new home and owner & I think he is going to get spoiled with attention and treats.

Alisen and Huxley have been gone two weeks already. I miss them, but know they are having a ball on their tour of the West Coast.

See you on the road!

Bird Dog

So, RIP baby birdies.... Baxter caught and crunched on the mama bird the other night. I neglected to warn my Dad about the bird nest at the front door (even though he reads this blog!), and the bird flew in the house. End of that one.

It's a mellow weekend here. As I write this, we are under a tornado watch, but seem to be on the south end of the storm front. I have to admit that I freaked out a little bit and went over to the neighbor's for a few minutes. False alarm.

Even though I don't have a basement to cower in, I have to confess that I would not be heartbroken if a tornado damaged my kitchen and bathroom LOL.

I am starting to count down the days until I hit the road. I head to St. Louis May 21 to work at a show for a few days. It's shaping up to be a great show, and I am so ready to get out of the hollow for a while.

For the Birds

Taking a break from Baxter's rigorous "Ultimate Frisbee Championship" training....

My yard is going to the birds this spring. It all started with a rather simple birdfeeder and some birdseed. That simple setup has morphed into some cool birds at the feeder, a couple weekend purchases of wacky yard ornaments, and the realization that I'm probably going to have to start buying birdseed or sunflower seeds in bulk if I want to keep up with the birds. Whoever came up with "eats like a bird" (or whatever that saying is) didn't have a clue.

I've had some indigo buntings at the feeder gorging themselves:
I've also spotted some goldfinches, a wren, and the omnipresent sparrows.

Over the weekend's craft fair and garage sale expeditions, I got two new items for the yard:
The metal flower is a suet feeder. The chicken is metal also -- the easiest rooster ever, guaranteed not to attack little kids. (He looks right at home in the hollyhocks!)

I also have a bird nest right at my front door. The babies hatched sometime in the last few days, and today I peeked in the nest and took a few pictures. They aren't really photo-friendly just yet, but are cute nonetheless.

Short Sheeted

It's cold! The temp is currently in the 40s at 10pm tonight, and it's supposed to dip down to 30 or so by morning.

And since I let my green thumb prevail over common sense (the freeze cutoff date for this zone is May 15), I have several young plants out in the garden. Lucky for me, I have plenty of sheets to cover the flower beds, as well as the containers that are too big to drag indoors. I have 11 different sheets and four pillowcases draped around plants in my yard, and 10 containers or hanging baskets spending the night in my kitchen. I'm sure it looks a little...funny...but who cares? I've done worse, like the time I ran after Baxter in my PJs. Come morning, the sun will be shining and my plants will still be alive.

I'm glad I don't have something outdoors that my income depends on. I can't imagine the stress for the people who have chicks outside, or the orchard/fruit crop owners -- especially since they already lost last year's crops to the April 2007 ice storm. (I am sure I'm not the only person who is hoping the blueberries make it through this late-season frost.)

Good night, sleep tight!

Garage Sale Craziness

Garage sale season is in full swing in southwest Missouri/northwest Arkansas. So is the craft fair season. I love finding unique items, and both of these are great places for that.

Today, I finally hit the road and got a double helping! The plan was to hit a craft fair at the historic War Eagle Mill in Rogers, Arkansas, stopping at garage sales on the way down. I had to refresh my sign-spotting skills and make several turnarounds, but there were no fender benders or road rage incidents. There was a big storm this morning -- it rolled over my house around 4 am -- so many sales were late setting up.

I took home a good haul. Some things will end up on Ebay; others will be in my patio or garden. I will post a couple photos on another blog tomorrow! There weren't any super finds, like the radioactive orange Fiestaware covered casserole dish my mom got for $5, but there were a few good deals. If anyone was looking for "hooker shoes," I found a treasure trove of them at one sale....

The craft festival was big...although I have to admit a few of the booths left something to be desired. It seemed like only a handful had truly handcrafted items. I think the Thomas Hollow Art Festival has a great talent pool compared to this one.

The War Eagle Mill itself was really nice. The mill is a stone buhr mill that operates on the power of the War Eagle River, and it's been around since the 1830s. The current mill is actually the fourth mill on the site. The first, built in the 1830s, washed away in 1848. The second mill was burned during the Civil War to prevent the Union army from capturing and using the mill. The third mill was built in 1873 and was then rebuilt in 1973 on the original foundation.

Despite being on the gluten-free (aka wheat-free!) diet for a month now, I can still buy flours like oat flour, millet flour, and the like. The Mill store even had a gluten-free cookbook, which I snapped up. But when I paid for my purchases, I slipped off the gluten-free wagon a little bit. Let's just say their cinnamon rolls -- made from their hot roll mix -- are to die for.

More tomorrow. I am sneaking out early in the morning to hit some more garage sales!